The Hacker's Guide to Guilty Crown
by SansArrif
Summary: Saul, an everyday kid, can access all of GHQ's cameras. He's also friends with Ouma Shu. Which is never a good thing. He gets thrown into Funeral Parlour, and who knows what kind of shit he'll get himself into.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I have a lot of free time. And I mean a LOT of it.

"Hey Shu!"  
He looks unfazed. "Saul, what do you want?"  
"Chill, dude." he's indifferent as always. "Just wanted to know what you're up to this weekend."  
"I'm free, but I'll say I'm busy so I don't have to leave the house." Shu starts to walk away. Typical.

"At least you're honest with me." I answer. We both laugh. "See you next week."  
"Bye." Shu leaves, while I make my way towards the abonanded school building.

I stand in front of the shaggy structure. This place is my haven, my house. Confused? You better be.

I go around the back, and use my pocket computer to open up the trapdoor. Once activated, I fall onto the conveniently-placed mattress.

Under the abondaned building is my bunker. With the technology here, I've hacked into nearly every camera GHQ has to offer. My hacking, tracing, wiring, all happens here. And no one's ever found out.

5 minutes in, and I notice a bit of commotion upstairs. What the hell?  
I gain access to the abondon building's camera feed, and- holy shit.

"Worthless, terrorist scum. Let's bring her in." a GHQ commander says. They drag a girl out of the building. And Shu's crying on the upper floor.

'Fuck, fuck, fuck,' I think to myself. 'What the fuck do I do now... What? Shu's on the move;

(Note: The next part is in "camera mode". It is Saul tracking someone's movements using cameras installed by GHQ.)

'Shu's running somewhere... but where?! Where the fuck is that bastard going!' I follow his direction to the map of the underground.

'Looks like he's going into... an unprotected zone?' I'm more confused now. He's holding a robot thing, while following it blindly...

'HE'S TRYING TO GET HIMSELF KILLED!'

Shu slows down. 'Has he finally grown a brain? Is he gonna back down?' Shu starts to climb the ladder outside. God dammit. GHQ hasn't installed cameras there, so there's no way for me to get into that part of the area.

I turn off my monitors and get myself a drink. This has been a frustrating turn of events.

"Shu... no matter what you're doing... don't get yourself killed. You're gonna do great things, man, I know it. Just wait it out- don't rush it."

I go to sleep. It's midnight, anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Rrrrrring!  
"Class dismissed." the teacher announces, leaving the room.

"Hey! Shu!" I yell, trying to catch up with him. I need to know what happened. Where on earth did that fucker go during that time?  
"Saul?"  
"Come over here!" I drag Shu outside. No one's here- perfect. "Where the fuck where you?"  
"What do you mean? I was just sick for a while, so-"  
"Cut the crap. You were in the sewer system while you were carrying that robot thing right?!" I explode.

"You're crazy dude... couple loose screws?" Shu tries to avoid the question.

"Don't lie directly in my face. You were in the sewers going somewhere outside of the zone. I couldn't track you after that, so I'm wondering where you went. Just give me an answer pal." I say, calming myself. Anger is not the key here.

"I'm telling you-"  
"There's nothing." Inori interrupts Shu.

"Wha- Inori? You're the new girl, right? Uh, hi! Um... Shu, you with her or something?" I stutter.

"Yeah, I know her a little..." Shu is just as awkward as I am right now.

"Let's go, Shu." Inori continues indifferently. They walk away, Inori whispering something to Shu.

The guy's hiding something, and I'll be the one to find it.

...

Day 4:  
Still in the bunker. Trying to figure out what Inori and Shu are up to- I've figured out they live in the same place. Shu's place, to be exact. His mom is there too, but she seems fine with Inori. God bless GHQ cameras. I haven't gotten any leads until this; I managed to pick up a phone call. I don't remember everything exactly, but it was along the lines of getting a "void" and something about Yahiro- I think he's friends with Shu. Is he connected to Shu's dissappearance? I heard sugar in there, but I don't think it means anything. Well, the location was in the gym seats, which is where I'm heading. I'm taking my knife and my mini (computer). I'll have to try and sneak in there somehow- the GHQ cameras inside the school don't have infared, so I won't be able to use those. Maybe I could bring a mic and record what they're saying...

...

'Easy does it...' I open the door to the auditorium as quietly as humanly possible. Bingo. I see a flash of pink hair.

'SHIT!' I nearly gave away my position. I move towards the opposite end, praying that they're not there. I haven't been able to scout the area beforehand. I look around. Yep, Inori's definitely there... I think that's Shu... and there's Yahiro. They're talking, but damn, the mic won't pick it up from here. Good thing I have these binoculars.

'WHAT THE HELL.' Shu digs into Yahiro's chest and removes a large crystal, that changes into a shear.

'I'm leaving.' was my immediate thought, but I'm too curious for that. I try and move somewhat closer. Shu's toying with the scissors- what does that thing do? I have to go. They're moving my direction.

I leave the building, and then I run towards Shu's place. If I can intervene, maybe I'll be able to ask him what that shit's about.

...

It's been 2 hours, and they still aren't home. What's the holdup?

"So, Inori. Why are you staying with me? Don't the Undertakers have a separate place for sleeping? Barracks?" Shu asks.

"They do. I'm here to make sure you don't get into any trouble." Inori replies.

"And to make me do missions?"  
"And to make you do missions." Inori confirms. It's time.

"Hey!" I walk right in between them. "So," I reach into my pocket, readying my weapon. I grab his shoulder, slam him into the wall and make his throat feel cold steel. "what was that about?"  
"What are you talking about? I just came home late because I was... watching a movie! Isn't that right Inori?"  
"..." she stays silent.

"You better cough up a decent explanation or else-"

I feel a sharp burst of pain. First in my neck, then in my head. My body starts to numb, and I start to black out. Dammit, I didn't expect the girl to do anything.

"Shu, are you alright?"

That's the last thing I hear before it all goes dark.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

...

I wake up. I'm in a cold room, with a single bed.

"Damn... what the hell did she hit me with?" I feel sore all over, especially my neck area.

I look around. This place is all unfamiliar. Inori must've knocked me out. But why did she ditch me here? I check my pockets. I still have my tablet, and phone... Inori had to leave quickly, I guess.

"Shu? Inori? Any of you guys here?" I ask. No answer. I try and open the door. It's not locked, to my surprise. It's a strange house, and no one's home. I make a call to Shu's phone.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

"Hello?" It's a girl's voice. Wait- Inori?  
"Uh, yeah, Saul here. Are you Inori?"  
"Yes." as indifferent as ever.  
"Where's Shu?" I ask.

"Don't know." Inori replies.  
"Where are you?"  
"Can't say." This bitch only answers in short sentences, huh?

"Why do you have Shu's phone?" My last question.

"He dropped it."  
I hang up. This is fruitless. Thank god I brought my tablet. And the good one too.

I trace our call. It'll take no more than... ah! Viola!

She's... there?!

Her location on the map is questionable. Or more like, life-threatening.

Where the hell could Shu be? I wonder if he has anything on him... dammit. The only thing he could have on him is his phone, and that's in Inori's hands.

I'm going to the building Inori is in. My only lead.

...

454 N, 124 E. Here it is.

I'm in the ghetto. And not the regular ghetto, with torn down buildings here and there, but the _ghetto_ ghetto. It's so ghetto there are barely any buildings. I would say it's so ghetto I hear a black person rapping, but we're in Japan.

Easy now, Saul, easy. Who knows what'll kill you here. I have absolutely no idea what Inori and Shu are involved in, so I need to take proper- shit! Someone's behind me!  
I take a quick pivot turn and duck.

"Impressive. You were caught off-guard, and you managed to avoid my attack." I take a look at my opponent. Long hair, tall, probably older than me. Looks strong, but I can't run here. I'll only lose my stamina.  
"Who are you?" I ask, readying my knife. It's still in my pocket.

"Gai. Tsutsugami Gai. Leader of the Undertakers." he says, too confidently.

"The terrorist group? Wait, what do you want from me?" I answer. I'm worried, I'm scared, I'm outmatched.

"You've been tracking us, haven't you?" he glares.

"No! I'm not with GHQ or anything! I just followed Shu- I mean my friend's phone- I think he's in trouble!" I hastily reply.

"Oh really?" Gai lowers his stance. "And what about him do you know?"  
"That's he's been doing some shady shit. And I want to help." I respond. Please don't attack, I can only dodge for so long...

He listens to something in his ear. "Yes, Tsugumi? Fine, I'll get rid of him. Prepare the attack."  
I immediately start pacing back. Not good.  
"Listen, I'll leave now, just-"  
Gai leaps towards me, fist in his hand. I recoil back from the pain. My stomach is on fire. I cough, only to see blood. Dammit! He really did catch me off guard this time.

"Calm down!" I hop to the left, narrowly avoiding his kick. I manage to get a light punch to his shoulder. He steps back.

"You're a bit tough, aren't you? Who taught you to fight?" His next attack is aimed at my feet. I try and jump, but his leg grazes mine, nearly taking me out. I'm breathing too heavily, my heart's pounding, I'm not gonna make it. I run at Gai with my knife, shocking him. I cut his midriff. He grunts in slight pain. I smile a little. A small victory. Gai springs back as he goes to disarm me. I move my weapon away and block his arm with my elbow. He catches me off balance as he sweeps my feet, causing me to trip. I let go of my knife, as it falls to the floor. I run for my knife, but Gai gets there faster. Immediately, I grab onto his pants leg and drag him to the floor, causing him to drop the knife as well. I start to run for it, but it's too far away for either of us to go for it. In fact, it's in the gutter. Dammit, my only advantage gone. He gets up just in time to block my punch. He immediately counters with a punch of his own, which half-connects. I feel more blood in my mouth and nose. Not good. There's not much blood on my face, but there's barely any on his. I take a deep breath.

"I didn't imagine you would put up a fight like this, my compliments." he says, still energized.

"Thanks," I take another breath. "but can we please stop?!"  
"Sorry." he runs forward to grab onto my collar. I'm done for.  
"AH!" he throws me onto the floor. I hear my wrist crack. It's not broken, but I know a couple bones are not where they should be. He puts me in a headlock.

"I guess I win, Saul, is it?" he says, letting me go.

"How do you know my name?" I ask, holding my left wrist. Damn it hurts.  
"Inori told me."

"Now, what are you going to make me do? Fuck off, and never speak out you? Kill me? Take me hostage?" I sigh in defeat.

"No, I'm going to invite you." he starts.  
"To what? Hell? Sorry, but I'm refusing that offer." I say sarcastically.  
"To join the Undertakers." he finishes.

"Excuse me?"  
"You're a capable fighter, and you obviously know your way through technology. Hell, you tracked us down using that thing! How'd you do it?"  
"Once you get past the first layer of encryption, the protection for your location is pretty crap, you know?" I explain.

"I see. Well, do you accept or not?"  
"Do I have much of a choice? Sure, why the hell not. It's not like I have anything else to do in my free time." You know, besides the GHQ cameras.

"Excellent. Follow me." Gai walks to the truck that started to roll in.

"Gai!" a female calls. Red-head in a wheelchair. Rare combination. "Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine. The boy's name is Saul. He's the one who got into our network. Anything you'd like to say, Tsugumi?"  
"Hmph." a small girl walks out of the truck pushing the disabled girl. She doesn't look happy.

"These two are Ayase and Tsugumi, respectively." he points. "Ayase is our Endlave specialist, and Tsugumi is the one who controls all of the action behind here. And she hasn't done a good job, it seems." Gai raises an eyebrow.

"I put some pretty hard encryption on it, OK!? I thought it would be enough to ward off the GHQ.!" Tsugumi says, outbursting. It's kinda cute, a small girl throwing a hissy fit.

"So, how old is the kid?" I ask.

"I'm 17!" she yells, angrier.

"So am I." Ayase says. "Don't mind her, she's been cranky ever since you hacked into the database."  
"Lucky for you, I didn't do anything to it. I just found the coordinates. No need to be angry." I explain.

"Shut up, you hacker!" she says accusingly.

"Anyway, Saul." Gai interrupts. "Shu's been captured. And we're gonna save him."  
"Wait, Shu's involved in all this?"  
"Yes." Inori steps out of the truck.

"You too?!"  
"He's stuck in GHQ, and we're gonna break him out, along with another guy. Now, follow me to HQ. I'll explain the plan and your job when we get there. For now," Gai looks towards Tsugumi. "don't get yourself killed by her, and try and get to know the girl. You'll be working with her."  
"What!" Tsugumi yells. "Why do I have to work with my mortal enemy!?"  
"Please don't consign me to a life of hell." I beg.

"Sorry, but that's your role now." Gai smiles. Tsugumi looks at me with contempt while we both walk into the truck.

This is gonna be difficult.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Gai told me to give you this." Tsugumi reluctantly hands over plans for Shu and Kido's escape. I read. It's long, complicated, but extremely well thought-out.

"Who wrote this?" I ask, not expecting a reply.

"Gai. He's a tactical mastermind. Every situation, every case is analyzed and wrote down in that plan. " she replies, looking in the other direction.

"Well, our job is to manage the enclave?" I say, reading off the plan. "I've never done that before, you're gonna have to teach me."  
"No, that's **my** job. Yours is to get into their mainframe and shut off the power for as long as possible." Tsugumi replies, still looking away. "The enclave is something you'd never be able to handle."  
"I-" realizing that arguing would only further damage our already strained relationship, I kept shut on the fact that I could probably learn how to control an enclave in a week. "Yeah, I probably wouldn't be able to manage that." she looks a little less tense.

We take the truck all the way back to the supposed HQ. There, the plan started.

"Alright, Tsugumi. Let's do this!" I hear Ayase's voice in the background.

"Ok, Ayase!" Tsugumi replies, just as whole-heartedly.

"Hey, can you pipe it down? I'm trying to-"  
"Shut up, you hack." Tsugumi replies harshly. "Enclave starts now, Ayase!"  
"Just please, lower your voice a little-"  
"You're not in a position to be asking for demands, so shut up!"  
"Tsugumi, a little help!" Ayase cries.

"Oh, sorry, I got distracted."  
"I can tell!" Ayase screams.  
I'm gonna lose my mind. I'm used to complete silence- minus the keyboard and mouse clicking.

Take a breath, Saul. Count to 10, Saul. Don't murder this girl, Saul.

"... Is there any other room I can move to, or-"  
"SHUT UP!"  
"YOU LITTLE-"  
"TSUGUMI STAY FOCUSED!" Ayase cries out in pain.

"Shit! Sorry, Ayase, I'm so sorry, are you alright?"  
"Barely! Now concentrate, dammit!"

I'm nearly done getting into the power.

"Tsugumi, when do you want me to cut the power?"  
"Do it on the signal!"  
"What was the signal?"  
"DID YOU NOT READ THE PLAN?"  
"It was so long, and I-"  
"Ah!" Ayase yelps in pain.  
Tsugumi quickly recalibrates the system. "It's when you see the second group move into-"  
"You know what? Just click this mouse button on that square right there when you need to, alright? I'm gone." I say, leaving the room. God, it was so noisy, how do people live with this shit!?

I angrily walk out of the room, livid. I can't work with a talkative, noisy brat like her!

"Hey! Come back! I'll tell you when, just get your body over here!" she shouts, while keeping focus on her mechanisms.

"What, so you can scream at me again!?" I shout from the other side.

"Just please come back! Only you can do this shit!" she yells, louder than before.

"Blah, blah, blah blah blah, I caaaaaan't hear you!" I scream, putting on headphones. Please tell me skrillex at max volume is enough to block that voice out.

"GOD DAMMIT!" I faintly hear, just loud enough.

Hope that operation's going just fine, I think, playing Candy Crush.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After the Kido Rescue Mission ended, things became awkward for me and Tsugumi. We had to work together everyday in that small cramped room, and our constant bickering only made it worse. We were extremely adept to retorts and comebacks 2 weeks in. However, we eventually got to a somewhat professional level after 2 months. I was nearly finished with the new encryption for the Undertaker's base, and Tsugumi managed to get the Enclave system up to an even higher senstivity.  
Eventually, I had to do a proper entry test, even though I was practically a full-time member. My challenge was simple. I had to beat Tsugumi at a one-on-one duel. I passed with flying colors, catching her off-guard. To this day, she's extremely salty about it, saying she wasn't ready. And now, Shu's going to do his test to become an official member, as well.

"Come on, Shu!" I cheer.

"You know he's gonna lose, right?" Tsugumi asks, right next to me. We're both watching.

"Yeah. I know. He's screwed." I say, depressed. Unless that guy pulls off a miracle, he's not going to officially join us.  
"You want the grape or cherry?" she asks, refering to my drink preference.

"You already know I live on grape juice."  
"I know, just asking." she hands me a bottle. "What the- look over there!" she points towards the battle.  
"Holy..." Shu just used Argo's void to win!  
"Get in!" I scream, running towards Shu, clearly taken aback by his win. "Congrats man! How the hell did you think of that!"  
"I don't know, I just-"  
"Good job!" Tsugumi yells, as her cheerful self. Only to other people, just not to me.

"Well done. Didn't expect that." Ayase says, now in her wheelchair.  
"How'd you lose to this punk?" I say jokingly.

"When Tsugumi lost to you, that's when I believed anything was possible." she replies.

"Hey guys!" I hear a voice. "There's a meeting on the next operation! Saul, Tsugumi, get the video ready!" That's our cue.

"Alright Shu, I'll see you later."  
"Where are you going?"  
"I need to set up some stuff."  
"Ok, see ya!" Shu starts talking to Argo. 

Tsugumi and I start walking down the corridor to our workroom.

"The cameras are set up correctly, right?" Tsugumi asks.

"Of course, exactly as Gai wanted them to be. We can look at the Leukocytes perfectly from my angle."  
"You and your angles. How much work do you put into your cameras?" she pouts.

"Cameras are everywhere! Might as well get them right. I put up so many cameras in this place, it's impenetrable! Not to mention when my new firewall kicks in."  
"I bet there's a camera here too, isn't there?"

"Of course! I bet there's one that has live feed focused on your breasts." I tease.

"Hey! Don't joke about that!"  
"Come on, don't be so pushy. It's just a tease."  
"How about this- woah!" Tsugumi trips while trying to push me over.

"Ah!" I yell, falling over. "That's just being a-" 

She's right on top of me.

"..." I stare at her.

"..." She stares back.

We both stand up and compose ourselves within the span of 2 seconds.

I cough. "Don't do that kind of stuff, ok?"  
"Noted." she's blushing heavily.

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" I hear warning bells.

"What the hell?" Tsugumi says, looking around.

"My God..." I say, turning the live feed on for the entire building.

She turns, then turns back. She doesn't want to see it.

The Leukocyte has struck, and our hideout's in shambles. I don't see any movement or sign of life.

Gai's been murdered by GHQ.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

"What... the... fuck..." I stare blankly at the carnage. Just torn-down buildings and blood. Corpses too.

"Saul..." Tsugumi starts to whimper, curling into a ball.

"Wait..." I change cameras. I installed several of them at that place, so maybe if I...  
"Can anyone hear me?" Gai's voice is barely audible. We then see his face.

"Yes, yes we can hear you," I say hurridely. "Are you ok?!"  
"I'm fine. Just a couple stratches." Gai answers, clearly pained.

"How about the others?" Tsugumi asks, hopeful.

"They weren't as fortunate." Gai replies tersely. "We lost all our reinforcements."  
"Should we regroup and change the operation?" Shibungi asks.

"No. We don't have time for that." Gai says. "The mission shall go on."

...

"Well I'm done with this nonsense. I'm out." Shu declares, storming out of the room.

"Come on, Shu..." I beg, but it doesn't work.

"Are we going to postpone the mission?" Shibungi asks.

"No. Carry on as planned. Dismissed." Gai finishes, leaving the tent.

Everybody's a little uneasy. We need Shu's void genome power in order for this to work, but I don't think he's up to the challenge, or more, he doesn't want to bear the weight of other's deaths.

"Inori..." Inori and I aren't on the best of terms, but we've come to understand and respect each other. "can you go talk to him? Do something? You're the only one he'll listen to."  
She nods and leaves. I don't think I needed to tell her that, she was just about to go already.

"Tsugumi," I turn. "you want to go get something to eat?"  
"Sure, why not." she answers, adjusting her hair.

"A sandwich or something? We should get something for the mission in 2 hours."  
"Who knows if it's even going to happen, now that Shu's gone."  
"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure Shu's going to be reasonable. Eventually. Before 2 hours, that's what I mean." I say, picking up a ham sandwich and grape juice.

"You seem so confident in him. Why's that?" Tsugumi questions, picking up a tuna sandwich.

"His mother raised him to be that way. And who the hell knows what's in that kid's head? I can barely understand my own self." I laugh, opening the door to our workspace.

"Well I guess I can't argue with that." Tsugumi sits on her chair, booting up the system.

...

"Alright! Mission starts now!" Tsugumi announces.

"Why do you always announce that so loudly?!" I say, rubbing my ear.

"Because they have to know, don't they!?" she argues.

"Did you guys take down the shield yet?" I ask squadron C.

"Yep. Men down, we're going in." he replies.

"Is Shu inside the HQ yet?"  
"I'm in now." Shu answers, somewhat shaken.

"Alright. I have to shut off communication. You still owe me 2 dollars, so don't you dare go off getting killed."  
Shu sighs. "Yeah, I'll get that to you."  
"You better." I shut off transmission. "Tsugumi, you shut it off too, right?"  
"Yep. They better not die."  
"I feel so useless. I can't do shit because the moment I try and touch that system, it'll shut off completely!" I complain, watching the battle from GHQ cameras. "It's so boring!"  
"Well, we just need to be ready in case anything happens to them." Tsugumi answers, while giving commands to Squadron A.

"Yes, mom." I say mockingly.

"Shut up." She doesn't sound annoyed.

(20 minutes later)

"Flush! Get outta here!" I yell, throwing my cards onto the table. "Wait, Tsugumi, what the hell?"  
Gai was standing outside, with no cover, holding a pen, staring into space.

Tsugumi gets on her reciever. "Bad news! The Leukocyte's malfunctioning and it's going to fall directly onto Tokyo!"  
"Give me the exact time it'll fall!" Gai yells.

"Less than 30 seconds!" I reply, trying to figure out the exact coordinates. "What the fuck are you trying to do! Everybody, give them cover!"  
"I'm on it!" Ayase says, using her Enclave to hold off attacks,

"10 seconds left!" Tsugumi yells, looking at the diagram of 2 Leukocytes.

We hear some rustling, and before we know it, Shu's out with a giant gun.

"NOW!" Tsugumi screams, half-praying half-desperately.

All that I hear is a burst of sparks and a distant boom.

"WE DID IT!" I scream, embracing the closest thing next to me.  
"YES!" Tsugumi yells, doing the same.

We hug each other, happy about our success.

4 seconds later, we realise what we've just done.

"Ah..." We quickly retreat to our seats, staring awkwardly at each other.

"Um..."  
"WE DID IT!" Argo cheers.

"Yeah... Woohoo, we did it?" I try and say convincingly.

"It all worked out, I suppose." Shibungi says, smiling.

"..." Tsugumi still stares at me with a heavy red on her cheeks.

At least the mission was a success.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"And that's how we recieved funding from the Kohouin Family." Shu finishes, smiling.  
"So basically you just saved their ship from your own trap?" I say, munching on some pocky.

"Yeah, in a nutshell. Weird that Arisa's void is like that though."  
"Train is stopping." the metro announces.

"This is your stop right? See you guys later." I wave to Shu and Inori.

It's annoying that I have to keep up the act of going on the subway so that it looks like I have a home somewhere else.

...

"Home, sweet, home!" I say, walking into the bunker. I haven't been here in ages since I've joined GHQ. But now that Gai's decided to send Shu back home, I can come here again!  
"I wonder if my cameras are still intact..." I boot up my computer, half expecting it to crash. I hear the windows loading sound and my desktop of 'Bliss'.

"Now if I..." I load up a couple programs, go into my router, into the network, and...

"Bingo!" I still have access to all of GHQ! I wonder who does their computer encrypting, because they suck.

Unfortunately, not 10 minutes into my camera browsing I get a call from the devil herself.

"Tsugumi?"  
"We have a mission."  
"Again!? It's only been like, a month since school restarted! And I just got back home!"  
"It's almost break, and Gai wants to do something with one of your classmates."  
"Then how come I need to get involved?"  
"He wants you to try something before we go to your friend. Breaking into some security measure."  
"GHQ sucks at this stuff. It'll be a piece of cake."  
...

"What the fuck! I can't get in!" I exclaim, defeated. "This lock mechanism is fucking bullshit!"  
"Hey, hey, calm down. We didn't expect you to unlock it, we just wanted you to have a go." Tsugumi says, handing me a grape soda.  
"Alright, I guess we'll have to use that guy from our class." I say, leaning back in my chair. "Is Shu going to do it?"  
"Yeah, Gai already told him." Tsugumi says, checking the internet. "We're going on a trip along with him, so don't get too comfortable."  
"Why do I still have to come?" I complain.

"So there's an equal boy-girl ratio in the group."  
"Is it that important?"  
"Why yes, yes it is." Tsugumi smirks.

"Screw you."

...

"This is your vacation home?" I say, flabbergasted. I'm currently looking at a huge house that could pass as a small mansion.

"Yeah, apparently I lived here when I was a kid. I don't remember any of it, though." Shu answers, a little flustered.

"And you have a beach, right next to it!" Shota exclaims. He's the kid we need in order to pull this shit off.

"Hey, unpack first!" Hare says, chasing after him.  
"Don't be like that!" Kusama yells, chasing after Hare.

Anddddddd my phone's ringing.  
"Hello?" I say, praying it's not Tsugumi.

"It's me!" Tsugumi says. I can hear the cockiness in her voice.

"You need me?"  
"Not now, but just giving you the heads up. Have fun and whatever, we're starting the mission at 8. Come out to the cave where you failed."  
"That's not fair! I didn't fail, I just-"  
"Shut it. Just be there, ok sweetcheeks?"  
"When did I get that nickname?"  
"You didn't." she hangs up.

...

at 8 pm

"Alright, I'm here!" I shout. "Where are you guys!"  
"Not so loud, clumsy!" Ayase appears, with Tsugumi pushing her wheelchair.

"Well you two weren't coming, so I thought I had to make my presence more obvious. And it worked."  
"Yes, it worked in alerting everybody within a 50 metre radius that you're at this very spot. Congratulations." she says, annoyed. "Anyway, we're just waiting on Shu to drag Shota out of the house so that we can use his void."

"How's Shu going to do that?"  
"I don't know. Do you care?"  
"Not really." I yawn. "Got coffee?"  
"What do I look like, your barista?" Tsugumi says.

Ring ring ring. It's her phone.

"Let me get that- Hello? Gai? Yeah... ok. Yeah, I'll bring him too." She hangs up. "I know where Shu will be with Shota. Follow me." she says, pushing Ayase's wheelchair.

"Right." I trudge along, still groggy. I'm usually not tired by 8...

...

"What are you doing?!" Shu screams, intercepting Shota's confession.  
"What!? I knew you had a thing for her! What is she to you, anyways! Your relationship is so goddamn mysterious!" Shota yells, clearly pissed off.

"Inori... Inori's my..." Shu stammers. Fuck, I'll deal with it. I run up behind Shota and knock him out.

"Bad form, dude. Never interrupt a confession." I say, dragging Shota's unconciousness towards a bench.

"Inori's my..." Kido teases, coming out from behind a bush.  
"Wha- HOW LONG HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN HERE!?" Shu says, distraught.

"Long enough." Gai walks out, alongside the other Undertakers. "Not according to plan, Shu, but it'll have to do."

"And by the way, you just violated the bro code. Don't ever do that again." Argo smirks, catching up to Gai.  
"You guys suck." Shu says, embarassed.  
"Whatever, take his void, Shu." I say, gestering towards the knocked-out Shota. "Do it already."  
"Ok, ok, one second." Shu does his thing, before we stop at the entrance of the cavern.

"So, how do we get in..." I say, looking at a giant wall.

"Shu, use that camera on the door there." Gai commands, pointing towards a small opening.

"Alright..." Shu fires the gun. Immediately we hear a hinge squeaking, and a door opening. Suddnely, the entire cave is open to us.

"So his void... is a unlock mechanism?" Shu asks.

"Basically. Let's hurry inside, there's going to be resistance." Gai says hurredly.

We run into the opening and take out several unalert guards with ease. Then, we hear their reinforcements. 20 freaking soldiers. It must've been from when we took down those men from the entrance. I knew it was too quiet!

"Hey! Shu! Tsugumi and I will hold these guys off! You guys keep going on!" I yell, grabbing my knives.

"Thanks Saul! You have my gratitude!" Gai yells back as they run into the next corridor.  
"Tsugumi, you ready?"

"You don't have to ask me, Saul." That's my cue.

Now, you gotta remember these are 20 armed soldiers with state-of-the-art weapons and armor against 2 kids, one who's a small girl with 2 pistols, and a guy who refuses to use guns.

The first few were simple. They don't expect a guy to be able to throw a knife that accurately. 4 down. 16 left on my side. A feel a bullet graze my knee. That was close.

A quick dodge to the right and I break into cover, running into the surrounding machinery. Interestingly, there's a lot of random crap here, it's like a mini-junkyard. Some weird boxes here, a large metal bin with nuts and bolts, it's crazy. Which serves me a huge favor.

I try and lose them. They're only as good as they know my location, and luckily for me, I turned off the lights a while ago. I slide up behind one and slit his throat. Easy. No sound either, which is a huge bonus.

I manage to take down 5 more guys this way, but I'm running myself into a corner. 10 soldiers left, not a huge problem. I can probably hack down a couple more, get one from distance...

"AH! Help!" a pleading voice cries in desperation. TSUGUMI!

"I'm coming!" I stand up and reveal my position. Fucking brilliant move, Saul. I immediately feel a bullet lodge itself into my shoulder, but I don't feel it. Why do I have to use this thing!

I go into my backpack and pull out my sword.

Let me explain. This isn't really a sword, but more of a retractable long-dagger. I hate using swords, they're so... flimsy. However this, this is more my style. Small enough to use as a knife, but long enough for medium distance range. I hate to use it because I'm scared I might break it. And if I manage to break this thing...

I sprint full speed into a cluster who seem to have cornered Tsugumi. After mercilessly tearing through a couple of them, I pick up the injured girl and run towards more cover. It's dark as hell, and as long as we stay quiet I should be able to patch up anything-

"DAMMIT!" I feel- well no, I get bitchslapped by 2 bullets in my calf. Now I can barely walk, and my left leg is numb.

My vision is crystal-clear; too clear. I'm just hoping my adrenaline keeps pumping for at least another 5 minutes, before I black-out. I use everything I have to drag her unconcious body towards my hiding spot. Not long until they find us, if we don't move. I hastily open my bag to try and find some guaze, some tape, anything... I know I keep some first-aid shit in here, where the hell is it!?

I found the gauze, but it's difficult to wrap around an arm when your arms are constantly shaking. Not to mention I can barely move my fingers. Just a little more... Done. Her arm should stop bleeding now. That's a relief. Now, I just need to-

"What the-" I hear Oogumo's voice as he notices the soliders around the premises.  
"Where's Saul?" Shu! Oh God, never have I ever loved to hear that guy's voice!

"I'm over here! With Tsugumi! Get the soliders first!" I yell, giving away our spot. Hopefully they can deal... with... the... my vision fades to blackness, succumbing to pain.

...

I didn't sleep well. My entire body aches, and I feel nothing but pain.

I look at my surroundings. I can't speak, I can't move, I can't do anything but look around. I seem to be in a bed, somewhere. I've definitely never been here. Tidy room, but a little lacking. Bed's comfortable, though. I try and turn my neck. Bad decision.

"Emnnn..." I groan in slight pain. I'm not doing that again.

"Saul!" I hear a girl's voice as she opens the door. "Are you awake?"  
I groan.

"Thank God, I didn't think you would wake up after those wounds..." I can tell by the hair it's Inori now. At least she didn't tie me to a bed like last time.  
"Just get some sleep, Saul. Your condition isn't exactly optimal." Shu walks in, hair unruly. "Be more careful, man! You almost got yourself killed when you ran into the fray like that!"  
What?  
"Yes, what were you thinking. Carrying Tsugumi and running towards the exit wasn't exactly a safe, nor smart decision." Inori adds.  
What?  
"Just sleep, alright?" They both leave the room, after giving me some water.

I have no idea what they're talking about, but whatever...


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Where the hell am I..." I sit up, aching all around. My arms are sore, my legs feel numb, and my entire mid-section is constantly cramping.  
"Saul!" Shu calls, rushing towards my room. The hinges of the door proceed hurried footsteps towards the room I'm in. It's small. Comfy, though.

"Where's the rest?" I ask quietly. Voice isn't as strong as it could be.

"Everybody escaped. You were the only major casualty... be more careful next time!"  
"Sorry, I just treated her wounds, and-"  
"You were literally running in the fray, being sprayed with bullets until you made it out. You collapsed right then and there. Nobody thought you would live." Shu recalls. "Tsugumi was untouched though- you took every single hit for her." he winks. I roll my eyes.

"I don't remember any of that though. I just remember blacking out after stopping the bleeding, then..."  
"Must've been your adrenaline."  
"Maybe. I don't know."  
"They say that when your subconscious kicks in, your true emotions are revealed." Shu says. "You definitely acted purely on instinct there, seeing how you don't remember any of it."  
"I don't know what you're getting at." I say, laying back down. I'm gonna need more rest.

"Saul, are you in denial?"  
"Denial as in, denying that my entire everything hurts, then yes, I'm in massive denial." I groan, trying to massage my shoulder.

"You're really dense."  
"You're one to talk, confession-interceptor."

We both realize what we truly believe in at that moment. We're not too different. We're both in denial. I just don't want to admit it.

"Get some rest, bud." Shu starts to head out.

"Any news from the Undertakers?" I enquire.

"We're gonna be doing something, but not for a while. You'll be ready by then."  
"Aight." I close my eyes and immediately feel the blackness surround me.

...

I think I owe all of you readers a backstory. Context, perhaps. I've kept you in the dark about my origins, so I think I'll have a go at it now, while I'm immobile at my current state.

South Korea? Know of it? Of course you do. That's were I was born.

I had a relatively happy and peaceful childhood up until Middle School. That's when my life turned for the worst. I came home from school, as I did everyday, to see my parent's corpses on my doorstep.

Bloody brilliant, innit? (note that I'm making this as concise as possible.)

The police came, took the bodies, gave me a funeral and dropped me off at an orphange. No 'I'm sorry for your loss,' no 'we're investigating the crime', no sympathy, only the routine check for orphaned children. At the orphanage, I had one goal in mind. I had no time to be sad, shocked, depressed by the murder, I only had time for anger, outrage, and revenge. From that day on, I spent hours, days, months at the local library, reading up on similar murders, using the computers and technology 24/7, as well as acquiring a job as a newspaper boy. I eventually saved up enough money for my own custom-built laptop, and from there I did my dirty work.

8th grade is when I found him. The dirty bastard who, for God knows what reason, slit my parent's throats in broad daylight and got away with it.

He's not relevant to you readers whatsoever. After I found his identity, it was only a matter of time before I enacted my revenge. I knew exactly what I wanted to do to him for a long time, and I acted it out without a hitch. To protect my image, I will never speak of what I did. Put me through torture, misery, the darkest, hottest depths of hell and I still won't give you a single word of the events that unfolded in the following month. And that's the end of it.

When I started High School, I could use technology better than any college-level professor could. I had acquired a set of skills thanks to my sheet devotion to the craft. So I dropped out and went to go look for a mentor. And I found one in Haruka Ouma, the stepmother of Shu Ouma. When I met this eccentric woman, she was wrapped up in some government business that I never knew of. Her skills in biological engineering and computer science made her my ideal teacher. And so, I asked for assistance. And I was rejected. And I asked again. And again. And again, until she couldn't refuse my plea.

We ended up becoming great friends, and I learned many, many things from this woman. Haruka was very well trained in the GHQ methods, so I adopted those skills and eventually found a way into the camera network, which I still have to this very day. Unfortunately, our classes, as I like to call it, were cut short due to a certain 'Lost Christmas'.

I survived Lost Christmas in the bunker. It was a bunker I made in Middle School, after the deaths of my parents. I could escape the orphanage and live as a non-citizen. A literal nobody. An MIA. Anonymous, that's how I lived throughout my life.

Haruka explained that her son attended a certain High School, and how I should attend, to perhaps make some friends. Maybe even a social group. At first, before Lost Christmas, I dismissed the idea. It seemed foolish, and I only wanted to gain more knowledge. Going to High School would be a step-down. However, after Lost Christmas, I didn't really have an aim. I didn't know anybody either. I was alone. Isolated. Lonely, and tired. Tired from all the shit I've been through. That's what made me go to school. Not for the friends, but so that I could relax. I could try to do something new, without the pressure of grades, or extra-cirriculars, or any of that jazz. And the first person I tried to befriend was Shu Ouma, the anti-social quiet-kid who sat in the back of the class.

From there, I'm fairly certain you know what happens.

...

Several weeks later.

...

Time to make an entrance.

"I'm back!" I yell, opening the doors to GHQ.

"Good to see you back." Gai says in his typical monotone. "I didn't expect you to live, in all honesty. But I'm glad you did."  
"Welcome back!" I hug Argo and Oogumo simulatenously.  
"You had some pretty bad injuries, how'd you live?" Oogumo asks me, inspecting my bandages.

"I don't know, magic? I survived, that's what counts, eh?" I smile. "By the way, where's Tsugumi?"  
All of the members point to a room at the exact same time.

"I get the message guys." I say blankly, walking towards my old office. I haven't been here in forever...

I open the door, fully expecting a sarcastic Tsugumi saying something along the lines of 'Oh, you're back.' or 'So you lived. Neat.'

Instead, I got a half-crying girl genuinely worried about me.

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS BULLSHIT!?  
"I was..." she sniffs. "so... worried about you!" Tsugumi sobs between breaths.

"Why? I mean, it was my dumbass decision to run into the battle, and-"  
"Don't give me that!" she embraces tighter. "You tried to save me, didn't you!?"  
"I would do that for anyone, and-"  
"Don't make me feel guilty about that!" she softly punches me, sobs ending.

I give in. She's too cute. "Yeah, yeah. Alright. I'll be more careful next time, alright?" I say, as sweetly as possible.

"Hmph. You better." she sits down in her chair, handing me a briefing. "The next mission. This is the big one. The one we've really been working for."  
"Oh?"  
"Most important one so far, so let's not fuck this up!" she says, launching a managing program.

"I'll try my best not to be useless." I laugh, reading. Back to normal. Just the way I like it.

...

"... and that's the plan. Any questions?" Gai asks, finishing his speech. That was boring. 20 minutes of just him talking about stuff we planned out. "Good."

I look at Shu. He's noticably shaken from something. Maybe the mission discontents him? It better not; the entire thing revolves around him and his genome.

"You alright ther, buddy? I ask, worried.

"Yeah... I'm good..." No you're not, you look like you're having flashbacks from Vietnam.

"Sort it out. Make sure you know the plan like the back of your head. I'm going to have constant communication with you, so don't be too pressured. Gai's mastermind should get us through this, too." I say convincingly.

"Ok..." he backs into a corner, slowly gnawing on a cookie, deep in thought.

"Hope he's ok..." I think, going towards the workroom.


End file.
